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meaningful and meaningless

genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
edited December 2010 in Buddhism Today
I wrote this elsewhere and wondered what you might think:
"Meaningful" just means "me."

"Meaningless" just means "me."

If there is no willingness to examine this "me," things just go on being meaningful and meaningless and how meaningful could that actually be?

Comments

  • EpicurusEpicurus
    edited December 2010
    Sure.


    Life has been a constant lost battle for me, when it comes to meaning. Very idealistic kid, with a very romantic idea of life. Now I'm afraid to see meaning in anything. And am quite unhappy with that.
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    edited December 2010
    Epicurus wrote: »
    Sure.


    Life has been a constant lost battle for me, when it comes to meaning. Very idealistic kid, with a very romantic idea of life. Now I'm afraid to see meaning in anything. And am quite unhappy with that.

    Nice one, Epicurus.
  • DazzleDazzle
    edited December 2010
    genkaku wrote: »
    I wrote this elsewhere and wondered what you might think:


    I think : "Thinking" :buck:



    .
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited December 2010
    You say ( "Meaningful" just means "me." and "Meaningless" just means "me." ) ...

    I would say that it's usually taken more like this:
    "Meaningful" just means "me."
    "Meaningless" just means "not me."
    How much meaning we find in life is more often than not tied up with how we see ourselves, the importance we place on our individuality and differences in comparison to other lifeforms. This makes "meaning" part of our dualistic thinking and separation from the suchness.

    If we don't find something lasting in ourselves or believe in a grand design or creator, we may therefore find our reality to be meaningless, and develop a nihilistic attitude. This isn't because there is no other meaning to be found, but that in untying our "selves" from (attachment to) that meaning, we lose interest. Our self-centered thinking won't let us see the larger non-dual picture that involves everyone and everything, and isn't about "me".

    This of course is something we have to get over as Buddhists, and the path does help us to see this! :) Though there is no-self, all things are impermanent and unsatisfactory, meaning is something we actually do have some say over. We are the ultimate arbiters when it comes to where we place importance on life. When we can include all others as well as ourselves equally, with equanimity, that meaning becomes clear; this is the selfless nature of perfect wisdom and perfect compassion of the enlightened mind.

    Namaste
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited December 2010
    There is meaning but it comes and goes. They can be a thought or a sense? Opening to the question I feel a wall that I can't see. What does that mean.. 'don't know mind'? Good or bad?
  • PietroPumokinPietroPumokin
    edited December 2010
    meaninglessness is important even though we suffer when we are drenched in it. i would agree genkaku, it is brought on by ego-oriented thinking, because we fail to see the meaningfulness of personal meaninglessness in the huge ocean of the world .
  • [DeletedUser][DeletedUser]
    edited December 2010
    Jeffrey wrote: »
    There is meaning but it comes and goes. They can be a thought or a sense? Opening to the question I feel a wall that I can't see. What does that mean.. 'don't know mind'? Good or bad?
    Sort of Genkaku understanding on meaningful & meaningless & me.

    According to Chan Patriarch Huineng’s gatha on me :lol:
    Meaningless
    Bodhi originally has no tree.
    The bright mirror also has no stand.

    Meaningful
    Fundamentally there is not a single thing.
    Where could dust arise?
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